A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Fitz-Ralph family of England.
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Barruly ar. and az”
The Fitz-Ralph arms were recorded in Berks, c. 1620.
Berkshire sat on the road west from London with the royal castle at Windsor in the middle of it. Court families bought estates within reach, and an estate near the court almost always came with a coat of arms.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
The body that granted and recorded arms in England in this period.
Reigning in England when the Fitz-Ralph arms are first recorded.
English heraldry allowed arms to be shared by all legitimate descendants of the original owner. These symbols were treated as personal property that moved through the generations to all children. While the eldest son kept the original design, other family members could use the same shield without needing to change it or register their own unique versions.
The surname Fitz-Ralph is a classic example of a patronymic name, which means it was formed by adding a prefix to the father’s given name. In Old French, the prefix "fitz" meant son of, so the name literally translates to son of Ralph. This naming convention became popular in England following the Norman Conquest, as it helped distinguish individuals in a growing population. By the early 17th century, members of the family were well-established in the county of Berkshire. Records from 1620 show that the family had integrated into local society, likely working as landowners or tradespeople during the reign of King James I. While the name originated as a way to track lineage, it eventually became a fixed family surname passed down through generations of residents in the English countryside.
Derived from the Germanic elements for counsel and wolf.
